Mechanistic Study of Personalized rTMS in Chronic Pain

NCT07266103 · tracked via the Priya Life Science Denmark tracker

Sponsor

Aalborg University

Phase

Not applicable

Started

2026-03-01

Last updated

2026-05-07

Condition(s) studied

Chronic Pain

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Classical repetitive trancranial magnetic stimulation to M1Personalized Target Arm

Classical repetitive trancranial magnetic stimulation to M1: The rTMS intervention consists of 10-Hz rTMS. Thirty trains of ten seconds with an interval of twenty seconds between trains will be delivered, as traditionally performed. Each train includes 100 pulses, and the total number of pulses will be 3,000 given in 15 minutes.

Personalized Target Arm: The rTMS intervention consists of 10-Hz rTMS. Thirty trains of ten seconds will be delivered with an interval of twenty seconds between trains. Each train includes 100 pulses, and the total number of pulses will be 3,000 given in 15 minutes. The rTMS will be delivered to the optimal target

Study summary

Previous research has demonstrated that repetitive magnetic brain stimulation can be an effective adjunctive treatment for several conditions, including chronic pain. However, current stimulation protocols are typically standardized and do not account for individual variability in brain function. This uniform, one-size-fits-all approach results in only about 40% of patients experiencing meaningful clinical benefit, while the remainder show little to no improvement. To address this limitation, the present study will investigate how magnetic stimulation can be tailored to individuals with chronic pain. By analyzing each participant's brain signals prior to treatment, we aim to personalize stimulation parameters to better match individual neural characteristics and potentially enhance therapeutic outcomes. The design of this study builds directly on the findings of a previous clinical trial.

Eligibility

Sex

ALL

Min age

18 Years

Max age

80 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion Criteria: * Presence of chronic pain (present most of the days for more than 3 months). * Pain with a mean pain intensity between 3-9 on a 0-10 pain scale (where 0 means no pain and 10 means the worst pain imaginable). * Speak and understand English or Danish Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnant or breastfeeding * Current uncontrolled major depression as the main diagnosis * Current history of substance abuse * Lack of ability to cooperate, to fully understand the protocol or any difficulty in filling out questionnaires (e.g., due to language or cognitive problems) * Formal contraindications to TMS application (presence of epilepsy, cranial implanted ferromagnetic devices, e.g., intracranial neurostimulator or cochlear implants, tattoos with metal ink on the face or permanent make up with metal in the face ) * Unable to answer the "Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Adult Safety Screen" screening questionnaire. * Participation in other research protocols within 1 month before the inclusion.

Primary outcome measure(s)

Pain intensity (Visual analogue scale) — Visual analogue scale will be assessed before treatment, after 2 months, and again after 3 months. Responders are those with ≥30% pain reduction at the end of maintenance compared to average pain intensity the week before baseline assessment.
The '0' represents 'no pain' at all, and '100' represents the 'worst possible pain' that the individual can imagine.

Trial sites (1)

Facility	City	Region	Status
Aalborg University	Gistrup	Denmark	Recruiting

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Other trials for the same condition

The Post-ICU Pain Study Recruiting

Improving Dysregulated Neural Networks With EEG-neurofeedback Enrolling by invitation

Digital CBT-I for Patients With Chronic Pain and Insomnia Active, not recruiting

Keeping it Simple Study (KISS) Recruiting

Personalized Treatment by rTMS in Chronic Pain - Study2 Recruiting

Official registry record

This page summarises publicly available registry data for informational purposes — not medical advice. Eligibility is determined by each study team; patients should discuss participation with their clinician.

View NCT07266103 on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗ ← All trials in Denmark